


I Fall A Little More In Love Everyday

by Dikhotomia



Series: Edeleth Week 2k19 [5]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Edeleth Week (Fire Emblem), F/F, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Insomnia, and a dash of humor, they're both gay disasters in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-12-01 20:15:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20886839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dikhotomia/pseuds/Dikhotomia
Summary: "There's too many different things spread across the makeshift war-table, maps, dozens of troop placements, papers Byleth can't even begin to try and make sense of and at the head of it all Edelgard sits. Beside her a candle burns, flickering and scattering shadows across the exhausted lines of the Emperor's face, skin pale and eyes bruised. Nearby Hubert's voice is a quiet drone, telling Edelgard much of what Byleth wants to say. You should get some sleep."ORA sleepless night turns into a not quite confession.





	I Fall A Little More In Love Everyday

**Author's Note:**

> TWO IN ONE DAY. Prompts for this one are insomnia, first kiss and a dash of assistance.

There's too many different things spread across the makeshift war-table, maps, dozens of troop placements, papers Byleth can't even begin to try and make sense of and at the head of it all Edelgard sits. Beside her a candle burns, flickering and scattering shadows across the exhausted lines of the Emperor's face, skin pale and eyes bruised. Nearby Hubert's voice is a quiet drone, telling Edelgard much of what Byleth wants to say. _You should get some sleep._

But she dismisses him with a flick of her fingers, reaching for the map nearest her and drawing it closer. Byleth knows these moods as well as he does by now, meeting his dark gaze over the top of Edelgard's head he nods once, slipping out of the room via a side door she had no idea existed.

_Maybe you'll have better luck._

Of that, she's not sure, but it doesn't stop her from being the next one to step up to Edelgard's side. "El," she whispers, leaning down into the other's line of sight. "Is it the nightmares again?" Because by now Byleth knows the signs, the jerky way with which the other moves, the steady tremble in her fingers that she tries to hide.

The insomnia.

Even if she hadn't overheard Edelgard pleading with her phantoms, she knew just by looking at her. 

The quill stills and violet eyes find her own. "Was I that obvious?" She asks, quiet, ashamed. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you, my teacher." She watches the way the other woman retreats into herself, the tiny smile flickering at the corner of her lips an attempt to distract from it. Worry about everyone else, then herself. 

"No," Byleth replies, hoisting herself up to sit on the corner of the table with a sigh. "You didn't disturb me, I can't sleep either." And it wasn't entirely a lie either, her own mind restless for much different reasons. Sitting in the middle of a nationwide war made it hard to keep everything quiet, the what ifs and the could be's and the how's all scattering along their own mental battleground. 

Five years in a coma really didn't help either.

Edelgard sits back, quill set back in the inkwell that's wisely pushed out of the elbow danger zone, the papers studiously piled away just in case. Always meticulous, her El.

"Yes," the other woman says finally, so quiet Byleth might have imagined it if she didn't see her lips move. "But they're different now." She doesn't elaborate, so Byleth doesn't press, instead letting the other woman gather the thoughts she sees creeping behind her eyes. 

She looks haunted.

"I see you dying," Edelgard whispers, staring up at her and the fear in her eyes makes her chest ache. "And I can do nothing to save you, just...watch." Byleth doesn't tell her that they're just dreams, instead reaching out to take hold of her hand, tangling their fingers together.

"I'm not going anywhere," she says, smile small and a little lopsided. "I know I was gone for all that time, but I'm not going to leave again."

Edelgard laughs, quiet and crumbling at the edges. "You can't promise that, even after all the feats you've accomplished there's always a risk. You could die, I could -- anyone here with us could and...I once thought it would be acceptable if it meant achieving my goals. I'm already sacrificing so much and causing so much pain..." She trails off, eyes lowering to where their hands sit against Byleth's thigh. "Now it's not acceptable, I want everyone to make it through."

"And is that why you're working yourself to exhaustion?" She asks, leaning up when those eyes flick to her face again. She knows she has her there, had caught her in whatever explanation she might have tried to toss out to soothe Byleth's worry. "I can assist you, you know. That's why I'm here."

"Assist with what?" Edelgard questions, eyebrow raised and wearing a look Byleth's come to know as trouble. "Sleeping? Or working myself to exhaustion."

"That's not what I meant," she huffs, rolling her eyes ceiling ward. "I mean-" 

"I know what you mean," Edelgard interrupts, bringing her attention back with a tug. "And I appreciate it, your insight in the battles so far has been invaluable."

"Don't give me all the credit, without the information you, Hubert and your generals supply I'd be lost." She knew the limits of her skills, knew that without information she'd be improvising and improvising could easily get people killed. 

"We're a team, after all," Edelgard states, slipping her hand free and standing. The scrape of her chair over the stone is jarring and they both go still and silent, holding breath and stares as they listen for anything, or anyone they might have disturbed.

The quiet hiss of the candle is their only response.

But Byleth soon realizes how close Edelgard's choice had put them, how all it would take was her leaning a little forward to -- She catches herself before she looks at Edelgard's lips, keeping her eyes firmly on the other's. Even if there's a part of her that just...

_It's not the time_, she tells herself,_ not in the middle of a war._

At the same time, she might not ever get the chance.

"Professor?"

Her shoulders twitch, focus returning to the present on an inhale. "Sorry," she whispers, "I was just thinking too hard."

"I know," Edelgard says, closer now. "You were staring at me very intently. I was starting to wonder if I had something on my face."

"No, I-" And she stops, swallowing. _You were never nervous before..._

"You?" Edelgard encourages, too patient despite looking like she might fall asleep on her feet.

"Can I kiss you?" She watches her question register, bit by bit, Edelgard's surprise quickly turning into embarrassment, her jaw working silently in search of words that seemingly wouldn't come. So she settles on a nod, eyes dipping to her mouth then up again, searching her face and she knows it matches what she sees in Edelgard's.

But she doesn't think further on it, thumb brushing Edelgard's cheek as she leans in and kisses her, gentle and slow and she feels as the other woman melts into it as much as she does, fingers tangling in the collar of her coat as Edelgard moves that much closer, and Byleth wraps her arms around her, holding her as close as she can.

Edelgard is the first to break it, forehead brushing hers, lingering. 

"I've wanted to do that for a while," Byleth mutters, fingers dancing across the space of bare skin on the other's back. 

"A while?" Edelgard parrots, and Byleth feels the chill of her gloves against the back of her neck.

"Since I first saw you again," she admits, smiling a little when the other woman leans back, a fresh wave of embarrassment coloring her cheeks. 

"Instead you made a terrible joke," Edelgard says, chastising but amused.

"It wasn't really a joke," she replies. "But I also didn't think it was the right time. I didn't even think now was...I just..."

"You don't need to explain, Byleth," Edelgard says, low and soothing. "I understand."

"I think that's the first time you've said my name..." 

She laughs as Edelgard pulls free, face as red as she's ever seen it. 

"To bed with you," The other woman sputters, indignant. "You've gone delusional." 

She laughs harder and as Edelgard chases her from the room, she can see the smile on the other's face.


End file.
